The largest city named for Christopher Columbus has called off its observance of the divisive holiday that honors the explorer.

Instead, Columbus, Ohio, is making a savvy move to tie the switch to a politically safe demographic: veterans.

The state's capital city - population 860,000 - will be open for business on Monday after observing Columbus Day probably 'for as long as it had been in existence,' said Robin Davis, a spokeswoman for Democratic Mayor Andrew Ginther.

City offices will close instead on Veterans Day, which falls on November 12 this year.

The largest city named for Christopher Columbus - Columbus, Ohio - has called off its observance of the divisive holiday that honors the explorer. Pictured: Protesters gather around the statue of Christopher Columbus in Columbus, Ohio, in November 2016

City offices will close instead on Veterans Day, which falls on November 12 this year. Pictured: Protesters at the statue of Christopher Columbus in Columbus, Ohio, in November 2016

Native Americans and allied groups have long used Columbus Day to elevate issues of concern to them.

This includes a peaceful protest of prayers, speeches and traditional singing in 2016 at Columbus City Hall - underneath the statue of the explorer that sits out front - to protest the Dakota Access Pipeline and to urge Ohio to support more renewable energy.

The decision to stop observing the holiday was not triggered by the national movement to abolish Columbus Day in favor of Indigenous Peoples' Day as a way of recognizing victims of colonialism, Davis said.

Columbus Day marks the Italian explorer's arrival in the Americas on October 12, 1492, in what is modern-day San Salvador.

The first statewide holiday was celebrated in Colorado in 1907, and it was made a statutory holiday in 1907.

In April 1934, then-President Franklin Delano Roosevelt proclaimed October 12, or Columbus Day, a federal holiday.

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Celebrations vary from large parades to non-observance. New York City has the largest Columbus Day parade, with more than 35,000 marchers and one million spectators.

Alaska, Florida, Hawaii, Oregon, South Dakota and Vermont do not recognize Columbus Day and either recognize other holidays or practice non-observance.

In California and Texas, the day is a legal holiday but not a paid holiday for government workers.

Berkeley, California, became the first city to rename Columbus Day as Indigenous Peoples' Day in 1992.

Several other cities have followed suit including - but not limited to - Los Angeles; Salt Lake City, Utah; Austin, Texas; and Seattle, Washington.

In April 1934, then-President Franklin Delano Roosevelt proclaimed October 12, or Columbus Day, a federal holiday. Pictured: 16th century painting of Columbus housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York

However, several cities and states don't observe the holiday and have chosen instead to celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day. Pictured: Painting of Columbus landing on San Salvador in a painting housed in the Library of Congress in Washington, DC

'We have a number of veterans who work for the city, and there are so many here in Columbus,' Davis said. 'We thought it was important to honor them with that day off.'

She also added that the city doesn't have the budget to give its 8,500 employees both days off.

Columbus made its announcement on Thursday in a two-paragraph news release focused on the impact on trash pickup and parking enforcement schedules. In that way, it avoided much of the consternation that has taken place elsewhere around the holiday.

An attempt in Akron to rename the holiday grew ugly last year, dividing the all-Democratic city council along racial lines. Five black members voted to rename the holiday and eight white members voted not to, keeping the holiday in place.

A similar effort twice failed in Cincinnati before a vote on Wednesday finally recognized Columbus Day as the renamed Indigenous Peoples' Day. It became the second Ohio city to do so, after the liberal college town of Oberlin in 2017.

Cleveland, which has a large Italian-American population, continues to host a major Columbus Day parade.

Organizers of the 39-year-old Columbus Italian Festival, traditionally held on Columbus Day weekend, were not given advance notice of the city's decision, said board member Joseph Contino.

'It's very in vogue politically right now to do that. It's not PC for me to say anything against indigenous peoples,' he said.

'You can kick Christians, you can kick Catholics. That's the message that it sends to us and that's what it feels like; we're Europeans and we lop Indians' heads off. Which is just not true.'

Contino said he viewed the decision on the holiday as a missed opportunity.

'If you're mayor of a city and its name is Columbus, why wouldn't you capitalize on that? Use it to unite everybody,' he said. 'Use this day to celebrate the entire culture, rename it, celebrate Italians and indigenous both.'

Tyrone Smith, director of the Native American Indian Center of Central Ohio, said that he feels no animosity toward the city's Italian-American community, but that he is proud of Columbus for taking this step.

'I'd call it a good sign,' he said. 'Columbus should take pride in its diversity and the cultural richness that's been growing. This is another feather in the city of Columbus' cap.'